2018 Native Plant Sale

The Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum is pleased to offer our plant sale for the 2018 growing season. Native plants can be purchased in 2 1/2 inch pots for $3.50 each (minimum of two per species) or 4 1/2 inch pots for $6.00 each. Download our brochure and order form for more information. Prepaid orders must be received by March 30th for May 12th pick up at UW-Fond du Lac.

Welcome to the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum

At one time, most of Fond du Lac County was covered by prairie -- native grasslands that were home to bison, prairie chickens, bobolinks and other wildlife. At the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum on the UW-Fond du Lac campus, a group of volunteers has reestablished the native plants that once grew on this site.

The project began in 1991, with the goal of representing the original plant communities of Wisconsin in a small arboretum. At present, volunteers have planted 42 acres of native prairie grasses and wildflowers, developed two wildlife ponds and planted 176 native trees and shrubs. Most of the wildflower seeds were collected from some of the last remaining original prairie sites in Fond du Lac County. To educate local residents there's an interpretive trail as well as six benches, two picnic tables, and a kiosk for recreation.

The Formal Arboretum is an innovative attempt to depict the native plants and plant communities of Wisconsin in a design representing the "Tension Zone" of our state. This is the area of overlap of northern and southern Wisconsin plant communities, which occurs in the Fond du Lac area. It consists of savannah, lowland forests and northern mixed forests, plus their associated wildflowers.

The Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum is named for Bradley Gottfried, former dean of UW-Fond du Lac, and a major force behind the project's initiation and development. Dean Gottfried's vision and persistence have resulted in the restoration of a portion of native prairie for county residents to enjoy.

Educational Programs

Cows eat grass. Prairies have grasses. Why not plant prairie grasses as cow pastures and providing habitat for native wildlife at the same time? It's a win-win, right? Come and learn why it's slightly more complicated than that and find out who is behind the research involved. Julie Engel will also talk about grass-fed meat and why it has been a topic in recent news. She will illustrate how an animal's diet impacts you (even if you don't eat meat) as well as the health of our streams, lakes, and soil.

Julie Engel is the creator of "The Coney Garth" an alternative method of raising meat rabbits in a cage-free, pellet-free, management intensive grazing at the Wild Abundance Community Farm in Jefferson.